NY jury in Russia arms case sees computer contents

Prosecutors have presented to a New York jury evidence they say shows an ex-Soviet officer dubbed the Merchant of Death researched an anti-American rebel group before being arrested on charges he agreed to sell it weapons.

The contents of Viktor Bout's (bootz) computer were displayed Monday on a large screen before the jury in federal court in Manhattan.

A computer forensics expert testified Bout researched the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in the days before he went from Russia to Thailand to meet men he thought belonged to the group, known as FARC. The men were Drug Enforcement Administration operatives.

Bout was arrested in 2008 after the Bangkok hotel meeting. He was transferred to the United States last year for trial.